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Navistar International Corp. announced a second quarter net loss of $374 million, or $4.65 per diluted share, compared to a second quarter 2012 net loss of $172 million, or $2.50 per diluted share. At the same time, it said it has seen a strong increase in May Class 8 orders and announced it will start adding SCR aftertreatment to its medium-duty trucks.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notice says an internal defect in the ignition switch causes the starter to engage when a key is partially inserted before the key is turned, and could cause injury to a person working in the engine compartment. Vehicles with standard transmissions may experience unexpected movement, which may result in personal injury or a crash.

Alcoa's new $21 million Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products cast house expansion at its Barberton, Ohio, plant is expected to cut in half the total amount of energy used to recycle aluminum for forged wheels.

The 2013 Fleet Safety Conference, scheduled for June 25-27 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, in Schaumburg, Ill., will feature a session on what fleets should know about the federal government's increased scrutiny of the health and wellness of commercial drivers, from tougher medical card requirements to sleep disorders.

Less-than-truckload carrier Old Dominion expects growth in tonnage per day to increase in a range of 5.0% to 5.5% compared to the second quarter of 2012, versus its previous expectation of an increase in a range of 4.5% to 5.0%.

Despite a drop in trucking jobs in May, employment in the for-hire trucking segment is up greatly from earlier levels, with about 40,000 jobs being added in the past 12 months and around 152,000 added from three years ago.

Major Canadian carrier Vitran Corp. will close seven terminals in the western part of the U.S. and focus on its core East Coast business, signing interline agreements with two U.S. carriers to handle its Western U.S. routes.

Odyne Systems, which makes hybrid systems for large trucks, will be able to deploy more than 120 plug-in hybrid work trucks for municipalities and utilities, thanks to a $45.4 million U.S. Department of Energy award.

Adam Phillips of Portage, Ind., a professional truck driver for Ruan Transportation Management Systems of Des Moines, Iowa, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association. Phillips is being recognized for risking his own life to pull an injured man from a flaming car.

According to a recent survey by GE Capital Fleet Services, the biggest concern for fleet managers is ensuring the safety of their drivers. With more than a third (36%) of fleet managers citing it as their predominant concern, driver safety outpaced cost-savings goals and workforce productivity (22% each).

Improving trucking's image is the focus of an upcoming webinar from the Truckload Carriers Association on June 13.
The webinar will focus on pride and respect, two of the key factors that are in a fleet's ability to recruit and retain drivers, shape an operating environment and mitigate litigation.

A group of trucking companies released research indicating that the federal insurance requirement for the industry is too low, but others such as ATA and OOIDA disagree. The Trucking Alliance, a group of seven carriers that lobby for safety legislation on Capitol Hill, found that the dollar settlements in some cases were far above the $750,000 minimum federal insurance requirement.

Volvo Trucks announced Thursday it plans to begin limited production in 2015 of dimethyl ether (DME) powered heavy-duty commercial vehicles. It's teaming up with Safeway and Oberon Fuels for a test funded with $500,000 from California's San Joaguin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

The motion was filed last week for lawyers representing Ohio Auto Delivery, which filed a class action earlier this month. Many of the lawsuits that have been filed against Pilot Flying J are seeking class action status, make similar claims and are in federal court in various parts of the country.